Obituary of Mary Ellen Parsons

Mary Ellen Parsons Guilford, NY Mary Ellen Parsons, 73, passed away peacefully with her loving family by her side on Monday, June, 11, 2012 at Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich NY. She was predeceased by her husband, Raymond, her daughter, Carol Rae and son, Stephen Matthew; her parents, Warren and Hazel Fellows and her sisters, Madora Shapley, Marie Oliver, Barbara Fink, Edna O'Connor, and Stella Anthony. She is survived by her children, Ron (Terri) of Bainbridge, Suzanne (Kendall) of Apalachin, Mark and Scott of Guilford; her beautiful grandaughters, Tammi (Allen) of Mt. Upton, Ronda (Brian) Hoag of Oneonta, and Grace; her great-grandchildren, Serenity, Carly, Skylar, and Landon. She is also survived by her brother, Marvin Carter of Binghamton (who always called his baby sister, "Tadpole"), sister, Doris Camp of Owego, her "little brother" Jack (Debbie) Hendrickson of Texas; and her aunts, Flora and Beulah. She leaves behind numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. During High School, Mary Ellen was a great student, captain of the cheerleading team and a majorette for the band. She graduated from Guilford Central School in 1956. She worked for Montgomery Ward, Norwich Knitting Mill, Bordens and met her husband at Scintilla in Sidney. On July 18, 1959, Mary Ellen married Ray at the Bainbridge Presbyterian Church. After starting her family and while raising 4 children, Mary Ellen went to work at the Guilford Elementary School as a volunteer and then became a Title 1 Reading Teaching Assistant and Teacher's Aide until she retired in 1995. She was an avid NASCAR fan (Go #24!) and enjoyed singing along with her country music. Mary Ellen was proud of her accomplishment in obtaining her certification as a volunteer Braille transcriber. Her altruism has always been a remarkable trait. Mere words cannot describe how important her family was to her. Mary Ellen relished each aspect of her life and no one could ask for a better Daughter, Sister, Wife, Cousin, Aunt, Mom, Grandma, "Grammie" "Mimi", Great-Grandma and Friend. She took over for Hazel in making quilts for new family members, baking apple pies as well as hosting family get-togethers. Many family/holiday dinners included friends who were welcomed with open arms. She remained the constant anchor for family throughout good times and bad. She taught us to be kind to one another and to love and support each other as family and friends are our legacy. As a devoted community member, she was very protective of her almamater. She coordinated numerous Guilford Alumni Reunions and wanted all her classmates to know she still loved them. She coordinated the Guilford Summer Program for a number of years. Mary Ellen was a Trustee of the Guilford Historical Society as well as the Chairperson of the Housing Committee. She was a member of the Chenango County Board of Elections and VFW of Owego. In 2010, Mary Ellen was honored as Guilford Citizen of the Year which recognized her commitment and dedication to our community. She believed that every child is a gift from God and should be treated as such. Her motherly intuition came through as she worked with "her children" at the Guilford school. She touched so many lives and always worked to make the world a better place. We will carry her lessons and love in our hearts forever. Friends may call 7-9 PM Thursday, June 14 and Friday, June 15 at C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel 21 Main St. Sidney. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 11:00 AM at the funeral chapel. Burial will follow in Sunset Hill Cemetery on Gospel Hill Road in Guilford. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Guilford Historical Society PO Box 201 Guilford, NY, Guilford Fire Department and Emergency Squad PO Box 9 Guilford, NY, Association for the blind at www.avre.org and St. Jude's Children's Hospital at www.stjude.org/memorial. Condolences for the family may be sent to www.landersfh.com. Arrangements are under the direction of C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel Sidney.